The Ultimate Adversary
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: Can the Charmed Ones triumph over the ultimate adversary?
1. Chapter 1

CHARMED "The Ultimate Adversary"  
by J. B. Tilton email: K+ 

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 5 episodes "Nymphs Just Want To Have Fun" and "Sense & Sense Ability".)

Can the Charmed Ones triumph over the ultimate adversary?

ONE

"Hey, Paige," Phoebe said as her sister came into the kitchen, "how's it going this morning?"

"Fine, why?" asked Paige, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, just that after that whole Nymph thing I didn't know how well you were adjusting to being a witch again, that's all," replied Phoebe.

"Oh, that," Paige said. "I'm completely over that. It was kind of fun, I guess. But I don't think I was cut out to frolic around in the woods all the time just dancing and singing. I would think that would get kind of boring after a while."

"Not if you're a nymph," Phoebe said.

"Let's not go there again," Piper said, coming into the kitchen.

"How's my nephew?" Paige asked.

"Doing fine," Piper said. "He's fast asleep in his crib. After that incident with the Crone I don't think we'll have to worry too much about anyone coming after him for a while. I just wonder how binding those laws are she mentioned. It seems to me that demons wouldn't care about things like laws."

"She seemed to think it would do some good," Phoebe said. "Maybe they have some kind of demonic enforcers who make sure they obey the demonic laws. I Wonder what kind of laws they have, anyway."

"Probably things like no helping the good guys unless it's for an evil purpose," Paige said.

"Well, whatever laws they have," Piper said, "the Crone better keep her word. If she doesn't, I may just have to pay her another visit and blow her back to the underworld. Or wherever she comes from. I don't like demons coming after my baby."

"Not to worry," Paige said, "you have Auntie Paige and Auntie Phoebe to help in that area."

"That should be Auntie Phoebe and Auntie Paige," Phoebe corrected, smiling. "I am the older one, remember?"

"Well, that's what those crows feet around your eyes tell us," smirked Paige.

"Crows feet?" Phoebe questioned, picking up a spoon and looking at herself in it. "What crows feet?"

"Stop it you two," laughed Piper. "Wyatt is safe, the underworld knows not to mess with him or they have to deal with me, and there are no demons attacking for a change. Let's just enjoy the peace and quiet while we can."

"I'm assuming that means you won't be happy to see me," said a man who simply walked through the kitchen wall.

He stood in the kitchen simply smiling at the three sisters.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

"Who are you?" demanded Piper as Paige and Phoebe stood up and took positions next to her.

"I don't think he's a ghost," Phoebe said. "He's not transparent. And he isn't glowing."

"Oh, I'm no ghost, rest assured of that," said the man.

He appeared to be about middle age. He was wearing a dark suit and tie and appeared to be like any other man the sisters might see on the streets of San Francisco. They all noticed, however, that he was exceptionally good looking. Which didn't distract them from the fact that he had simply walked through the wall of their home.

"This is a very nice house you have here," he said, smiling. "I've never been here personally but I've heard so much about it. I can see what I heard weren't exaggerations."

"Who are you and what do you want?" demanded Piper.

"You'll learn who I am in due course," said the man. "As for what I want, I would think that would be apparent. I want the three of you, of course."

"Well, you got us," Paige said. "But you're about to be sorry you did."

"I don't think so," said the man. "I wouldn't have thought that three sisters who fight between themselves as much as you do would have lasted as long as you have. Now, when Prue was alive, I could understand it. She was the strong one. A natural born leader, that one."

"Don't mention my sisters name," Piper said. "She died protecting us. I don't know who or what you are but you don't seem to be the type to be up to any good. Now, for the last time, what do you want with us?"

"I want you dead, of course," said the man. "You've been a thorn in my side for much too long. At first I didn't think you'd last. But you seem to overcome the odds no matter how badly they are stacked against you. You're much more inventive than I would have thought."

Piper raised her hands and used her freezing power on the man. Then she turned to Phoebe.

"Phoebe," she said, "hurry and check the Book of Shadows. See if you can figure out who or what this guy is. I'll keep him frozen until you do then we can vanquish his sorry butt."

"Except that I'm not frozen," said the man. "That doesn't work on me."

"I've had enough of this," Piper said.

She raised her hands and used her explosive power on the man. But instead of exploding, the magic just passed around him harmlessly.

"I'm afraid that one doesn't work either," said the man. "I suppose Paige could try to orb me away to somewhere. Maybe a volcano or something. But she doesn't have that kind of control over her power, does she? And it wouldn't work any better than your powers do."

"Not good," Phoebe said, pulling Piper back to her. "We'd better think of something quick."

"Oh, don't worry," said the man. "I'm not quite ready to finish you just yet. First there's the matter of the baby asleep upstairs. So young and innocent. And so powerful at the same time. A young mind for me to mold after my image, so to speak. When you die, I want you to know that he shall one day be a great force for evil, his White Lighter half notwithstanding."

"You leave my baby alone you son-of-a-bitch," Piper said, clenching her teeth.

"Oh, I can't do that," said the man. "What better legacy for the Charmed Ones than to have their powerful offspring fighting on the other side. Seems a bit ironic to me. Or is that poetic? I never can seem to decide which is which."

Suddenly the man vanished from the kitchen. None of the sisters said a word. They didn't have to. They knew where the man had gone. He would be in the nursery going after Pipers' baby. As Piper and Phoebe ran for the stairs, Paige orbed immediately to Wyatt. 


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

As Paige orbed in, she saw the man standing over Wyatt's crib. The man looked at her and smiled, and then reached down to pick up the baby. Before he could, Wyatt activated his protection sphere. The man stepped back a step, unable to penetrate the impenetrable shield as Piper and Phoebe ran into the room.

"I suppose I should have expected that," said the man. "Nothing like the innocence of a baby to enhance the power it possesses. Not to worry. His shield won't protect him forever. Sooner or later I'll have him."

"Over my dead body," Piper said.

"That is the general idea," said the man. "You don't honestly think you can stand against me, do you? Many have tried. None have succeeded. Your mother died fighting me. So did your grandmother. Not even the famed Melinda Warren could defeat me. No one can."

"We defeated the Source," Phoebe said. "Not once, but three times. One more demon is no match for us. We have the Power of Three. That will stop you."

"The Source?" laughed the man. "He was a fool. Although, I'm sure you've already been told that. And don't be fooled young witch. I'm no demon. Not by a long shot."

Just then Leo orbed into the nursery.

"I sensed trouble," he said. "I thought I'd better get down here and..."

His voice trailed off as he saw the man standing over Wyatt's crib. He also noticed Wyatt's protection sphere in place. He didn't need anyone to tell him what the trouble was.

"Ah, your White Lighter," said the man, looking at Leo. "Now, you would be a prize indeed. Nearly as great a prize as these three. Or your young son there."

"Leave him alone," threatened Leo.

"Or you'll what?" asked the man. "You're a White Lighter. Aside from beating me senseless with your bare fists, there really isn't much you're equipped to do. And as I'm sure they will tell you, their power is just as useless against me."

"He just appeared in the kitchen," Piper told Leo. "He won't tell us who he is. Only that he wants to kill us."

"Oh, you know me," said the man. "You know me quite well. I don't normally make a personal appearance, but I thought in your case, I'd make an exception."

"So what are you waiting for?" Phoebe asked. "You said you wanted us dead. What's stopping you?"

"Nothing," said the man. "I simply choose to wait for the moment. I'm going to take the child first. Punishment for all the years of aggravation you've caused me. After I have the child, I'll dispose of the three of you. And give the Nexus to one of my loyal followers."

The man turned and then stopped for a moment.

"Oh, by the way," he said, "you won't find me in your Book of Shadows. I'm not in there. Well, not per se anyway. I'm on every page. But you won't find an entry on me. Though I'm sure you'll still check all the same. And White Lighter? When you check with you Elders, give them a message from me. Not even they can withstand me forever. Sooner or later I'll win out over them as well."

Suddenly the man turned and vanished from the room. 


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

"He's right," Phoebe said, coming down from the attic, "I couldn't find anything in the Book of Shadows that was even remotely close."

"What did he mean he's on every page?" asked Paige. "What kind of cryptic mumbo jumbo is that?"

"I don't know," Piper said, "but he's not getting Wyatt. We didn't risk going to that demonic market place to loose out to some psycho with a god complex."

"Is Leo back yet?" Phoebe asked.

"No," said Paige. "I really don't know what could be taking him this long. It's been over an hour. As powerful as this thing is the Elders should have known right away what it was."

"He did intimate that he was extremely old," Piper said. "What was it he said? Mom and grams died fighting him? That doesn't make any sense. Mom died at a lake fighting a water demon. And grams died from a heart attack. She wasn't fighting anyone at the time."

"He also said that not even Melinda Warren could stand up against him," Phoebe said. "If he's that powerful, there should be an entry on him in the Book of Shadows. I don't understand why there isn't."

"None of this makes any sense," Paige said. "He's obviously evil. Wyatt activated his bubble without being told to. As soon as that thing bent down to pick him up, he turned it on. At least he can't get to Wyatt."

"Not yet," Piper said. "But he was right about another thing. Wyatt can't keep it up forever. Eventually he'll have to let it down and when he does, that whatever it is will get him. We have to find a way to stop it before that happens."

"How can we stop it when we don't even know what it is?" Phoebe asked. "Without some clue we can't make a potion or write a spell. And our powers don't seem to affect it. How do you fight something when you don't know what its weakness is?"

"We'll have to find a way," Piper said. "I'll die before I let it get to Wyatt."

"I think that's what it has in mind," Paige said. "The key is to stop it without having to die to do it."

"That may not be possible," said Leo, orbing into the nursery where the girls were gathered.

"What did you find out?" Piper asked. "What kind of demon is this?"

"That's why I was gone so long," Leo said. "It's not a demon. At least, not in the traditional sense of the word. At first the Elders were as much in the dark as you were. I told them what you told me about this thing and gave them the message. It had them stumped for a while. But one of them thinks he figured it out. The others agree with him."

"Well, spill it, brother-in-law," Phoebe said. "Whatever this thing is we need a defense against it and fast. It said it would be back and we need to be ready for it."

"That's just it," Leo said, "there's nothing you can do to it. It's evil."

"We know that, for crying out loud," Piper said. "It threatened to kill us and steal Wyatt. We know it's evil. We need to know what kind of creature it is and how to defeat it."

"No," Leo said, "you don't understand. It's not an evil entity. It is evil. Evil incarnate. No one is strong enough to destroy it. It's coming back to get you and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it." 


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

"That's crazy," Paige said. "Evil isn't a living creature."

"Is it really so strange to find that evil has a form?" asked Leo. "Cupid is real. You've met death. And fate. Is it really so hard to believe that evil could become corporeal as well?"

"But how?" asked Phoebe.

"Every evil creature that exists gives it power," Leo said. "Every demon, every warlock, every ghost, whatever. Each contributes some power to it in their fight against good. All that power added together is considerable. And there is no way to stop it."

"That ridiculous," Piper said. "We've stopped evil plenty of times. How many demons have we vanquished? Every time we do, we stop evil."

"Not technically," Leo said. "You stop one of the servants of evil. Evil can no more be destroyed than you could destroy love or hate or envy. Evil itself, pure evil, is a force that is indestructible. As long as even one evil creature exists, it will have power. And there's no known way to fight that. Not in corporeal form."

"We aren't just giving up," Piper said. "Everything has a weakness. We just have to find what its weakness is. Exploit it to our advantage. There has to be something we can do."

"We resist it," Phoebe said. "Resistance is the only way to stop evil. Spells or potions or powers may not work against it but if we resist it it can't hurt us."

"Only if it was trying to corrupt you," Leo said. "People can only be corrupted if they let it happen. But it's not trying to corrupt you. It's coming to destroy you. And nothing the Elders, me, or you do can stop it."

"There has to be something," Paige said. "I can't believe that evil is so powerful that it can't be stopped. If that were true there would be no good in the world. It would be overwhelmed. Like Piper said, everything has a weakness. We just have to figure out what that weakness is."

"I hope you're right," Leo said. "Because unless you can figure out what that weakness is, you'll be helpless against it. It will destroy you and me and take Wyatt to raise as evil. If that happens, all of mankind could suffer."

"We have some work to do," Piper said. "Paige, go through the Book of Shadows again. See if there's anything, I don't care how remote that might help us. Phoebe, see if you can write a Power of Three spell to duplicate Wyatt's protection sphere. If we can duplicate it maybe we can at least keep this thing at bay. I'm going to see if I can come up with a potion that might work against this evil."

"On my way," Paige said, heading for the attic.

"I'll let you know when I have a spell ready," Phoebe said.

"I'll be in the kitchen working on the potion," Piper said. "Leo, you stay here with Wyatt. If anything happens, you orb him out immediately. At least we can try to keep him away from this thing."

Leo picked up his son as the girls went to prepare their defenses against evil. He hoped they would be successful. He also realized there may be nothing any of them could do to stop it. 


	6. Chapter 6

SIX

Phoebe walked into the kitchen where Piper was working on potions. She still carried the pad and pen she was using to write the spell. The look on her face told Piper she wasn't having much luck.

"Can't come up with anything, huh?" Piper asked, putting some ingredients into the slowly simmering pot.

"Nothing that would be of any use," Phoebe said. "What about you? Any luck with a potion?"

"Not really," Piper said. "I'm not really sure what to do. How do you make a potion to vanquish a force of nature instead of a creature? It's like trying to make a potion to stop the wind."

"I know what you mean," Phoebe said. "I'm having the same problem with the spell."

"Well, I can't find anything of use in the Book of Shadows," Paige said, coming into the kitchen. "I must have gone through it half a dozen times. There are potions and spells for dozens of demons, warlocks, and assorted other creatures. But there's almost nothing on evil itself. It's almost like no one ever encountered it before."

"Maybe they haven't," Phoebe said. "He did say he rarely makes a personal appearance."

"But he said that mom, grams, even Melinda couldn't stop him," Piper said. "He said they died trying."

"I think he was speaking in a more general term," Phoebe said. "That they were fighting evil in the form of demons and such not an actual entity. He did say that every evil creature gives him power. And by fighting demons every day the way we do and the way they did, we are fighting evil every day."

"What about that?" Paige asked. "Couldn't you write a spell to block that power he gets from all the evil creatures?"

"I thought of that," Phoebe said. "But nothing seems to work. It's like trying to bring down a charging elephant with a water pistol. I'm beginning to run out of ideas."

"So am I," Piper said. "Even the potion we used on Cole when we tried to vanquish him wouldn't be powerful enough. I'm beginning to think Leo and the Elders were right. There's nothing we can do to stop him."

"I won't accept that," Phoebe said. "Everything has a weakness. There has to be something we can do. We're the most powerful witches in history. I can't believe there's nothing we can do about this."

"The only way to beat evil is to resist it," Paige said. "I remember something my father once said. For evil to win all it takes is for good to do nothing. We'll think of something. We just have to put our heads together."

"I hope we have time," Piper said. "It's been more than an hour since that thing left. Every minute we waste is a minute closer to its return. We'd better start thinking of something fast or it's going to be too late."

Suddenly the girls heard Leo call to them. His voice had a note of urgency in it. As before, Paige orbed up to Wyatt's room. But this time she took Piper and Phoebe with her. It was quicker than taking the stairs and every second was precious.

As they orbed into Wyatt's room, they saw Leo standing next to Wyatt's crib. Evil was standing near the crib as well. Wyatt had his shield of protection activated and Leo stood between Evil and the shield. 


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

"He just popped in," Leo said.

"Get away from him," Piper said, moving up next to her husband.

"A valiant effort," said Evil. "Futile, but valiant. You know you can't stop me. I've come for the child. Once I have him tucked safely away, I'll be back for the three of you. Now, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Simply step aside. It will be better that way."

"Not likely," Leo said.

Evil reached out and an invisible force cast Leo across the room. He struck the wall and slumped to the floor, dazed but still conscious. Evil then turned on Piper. With a wave of his other hand she went flying across the room, crashing into her sisters. The three fell to the floor.

Evil moved up to Wyatt's crib and put his right hand on the protection bubble. Energy emanated from his hand covering the bubble. The three sisters rose to their feet and looked at each other. Phoebe suddenly struck out with her foot intending to kick Evil away from the crib.

Evil didn't even look up. He simply raised his left hand and the same invisible force that he had used on Leo and Piper sent her crashing to the wall behind her. Before Piper and Paige could react, Evil used the same force on them, sending them crashing into the wall beside Piper.

"You little powers are less than an annoyance to me," he said, still exerting his power on Wyatt's bubble. "Even this protection bubble the baby is capable of generating is of no hindrance to me. He is young and does not have mastery of his powers yet. It is only a matter of time before it will fail him."

Suddenly the bubble surrounding Wyatt collapsed. Evil smiled and looked at the sisters who lay dazed on the floor.

"See," he said. "A simple matter, really. Say goodbye to your son, witch. It is the last time you will ever see him."

"Wyatt," cried Piper reaching out for her son.

She was still too dazed to bring her power to bear. She watched in horror as Evil reached into the crib to draw out his prize. 


	8. Chapter 8

EIGHT

"No," cried Piper as a tear fell from her eye.

Evil reached into the crib to take Wyatt. As he did, a beam of energy shot from Pipers' hand. It struck Wyatt but didn't appear to do the baby any harm. But the instant Evil touched Wyatt, a force threw the creature across the room. He struck the wall and fell to the floor, but was on its feet in an instant.

"What the?" questioned Piper.

Paige looked at Piper, and then at Wyatt, and then at Evil. She had a perplexed look on her face. She looked over at Phoebe who also seemed to be perplexed. Suddenly the look on Paige's face changed from one of perplexed to recognition.

"Of course," she said, grabbing Phoebe and helping her to her feet. "We've been so stupid. That's the answer."

"What is?" asked Leo who had regained his senses.

He moved over and stood next to Piper who still wasn't sure exactly what had happened. As he did, Evil again began to move toward the crib.

"Piper," Paige said, "remember Prue. That thing killed her. It also killed mom and grams. Phoebe, it was because of him that you had to vanquish Cole. Even after all you two had been through together, he still forced you to destroy Cole. And he's responsible for my parents' deaths. He took them from me prematurely."

"Memories will do you no good," Evil said, moving up to the crib. "I will have what I came for."

"I don't think so," Piper said, stepping between Evil and the crib.

Once again some form of energy shot out from Piper bathing little Wyatt. Almost as quickly the same force as before took hold of Evil and cast him once again across the room. Paige pulled Phoebe over to the crib and the two stood with their eldest sister, all three of them holding hands.

"Think of them," Paige said as she took Pipers' hand. "Think of Prue, and mom, and grams. Think of Cole. Think of my parents. Think of all the good people who have died because of him. That's his weakness. That's how we beat him."

Neither Piper nor Phoebe understood what Paige was talking about. But in the months since she had come into their lives, they had grown to trust her. Nearly as much as they had trusted Prue. They didn't understand why they were suddenly able to fight Evil, but they knew it was their only hope. They stood with their youngest sister holding hands and facing their adversary.

"You're beaten," Paige said to Evil. "Prue's dead because of you. Mom's dead. Grams is dead. Cole is vanquished. All because of you. You don't get Wyatt. Not today. Not ever. It's over."

"Yes it is," said Evil his anger in full force. "But I won't be beaten by you. I cannot be vanquished. I am eternal. I'll just change my plan, that's all. You'll all die knowing that when I'm finished here, the baby will join me and become the greatest servant of evil the world has ever known."

Evil raised his hand and cast an energy ball at the sisters. They all knew this would not be like any demonic energy ball. They also knew if they couldn't stop it, Evil would make good on his threat. They all braced themselves as the energy ball enveloped them. 


	9. Chapter 9

NINE

Leo could do nothing but stand and watch as the magic from the energy ball covered the three sisters. His White Lighter powers were useless. And when the girls had been vanquished, he knew Evil would turn on him. And Wyatt.

Suddenly the energy surrounding the girls dissipated away. The three stood, still holding hands, no sign of damage to any of them. Evil stood and looked at them in shock and disbelief. Paige met his gaze with one of her own.

"You're beaten," she said. "You have no power over us now. Maybe what Leo said is true. Maybe we can't destroy you. But we can resist you. And nothing you do will ever change that. You don't get us or Wyatt."

Evil stared at the sisters. His anger was in full force now. Every fiber of his being was charged with rage at these three women who dared to oppose him. But he also knew he could not triumph over them. The power they used against him was too strong. It was his only weakness and somehow this, the youngest of the three, had learned that. Howling in anger he simply vanished from the nursery.

"Okay, little sister," Piper said as she poured them coffee in the kitchen, "it's about time you spilled it. What the hell happened up there? You seem to know what's going on. It's about time you let the rest of us in on your secret."

"I'd like to know that myself," Leo said, sitting at the table and holding Wyatt. "Before I report to the Elders, I need to know just what happened."

"It's very simple," Paige said, smiling coyly. "We beat him. And there was nothing he could do about it."

"We know that," Phoebe said. "But how did we beat him? None of us had the power to stop him. We didn't have a potion or a spell. So what was that energy that was finally able to stop him when nothing else could."

"It was something Piper said," Paige said. "That everything has a weakness. We all agreed it had to have one. We just didn't know what it was. When Evil tried to pick up Wyatt, Piper couldn't do anything to stop him. And yet, somehow, she was able to prevent it. At first I wasn't sure what had happened. Until I saw the look in Piper's eye when Evil reached for Wyatt. That's when I saw it."

"Saw what?" asked Leo.

"Love," Paige said. "Piper gave Wyatt the only real thing a mother can give to her child. Her love. And you saw what happened when Evil tried to pick Wyatt up. Talk about a cold slap in the face."

"Love?" questioned Phoebe. "That's it?"

"Of course," Leo said. "I can't believe not even the Elders saw that."

"I don't understand," Piper said.

"It's very simple," Paige said. "Love is the one thing that evil can't overcome. Evil is selfish, clingy, all consuming. It cares for nothing but itself. What it wants. Love is just the opposite. Especially the love of a mother for her child. Most mothers will do anything for their child, including dying for them. Evil isn't capable of that. It can't understand it."

"Cole said that once," Phoebe said. "That evil can't truly love. Remember, Piper? It helped us to save Prue."

"I remember," Piper said.

"Remember what Evil said to us?" Paige asked. "Mom died fighting it. Grams did. Even Melinda Warren died fighting it. They all did the same thing. Tried to make the world a better place for their children.

"That's why I told you to think of them. And of Cole. I know Cole and I didn't exactly get along. But you loved him, Phoebe. I think you still do, in some way. And while I didn't know Prue or mom or grams the way you guys did, you still loved them, too. It was the one thing that Evil couldn't overcome. The love one person has for another. Especially family."

"And with all three of us," Phoebe said, "It was like the Power of Three."

"Exactly," Paige said. "Only Piper could give Wyatt a mothers' love. But the two of us helped to intensify that love with love of our own. Evil might have been able to overcome a single person but it couldn't withstand all of us at the same time."

"We should have figured that out," Leo said. "The Elders and me, I mean. Most White Lighters are White Lighters because they gave their lives for others. It should have been so obvious to us."

"Maybe too obvious," Piper said. "It's usually the simple things that mess you up. I'm just glad Paige was able to recognize what was going on in time."

"So, do you think Evil will be back?" Phoebe asked. "I mean, the entity? That thing we had to face in the nursery?"

"I doubt it," Leo said. "You know how to fight it now. Evil rarely makes a direct assault. It's too obvious. Evil likes to be subtle. To trap people before they even know what they're doing. Now that you've beaten it, I doubt it will be back here anytime soon."

"Good," Piper said, taking Wyatt. "That thing really scared me. It's nice to know that all we'll be facing from now on is the regular type of demons."

"I'd better report in," Leo said. "I may be gone a while. I'm sure they're going to have a hundred questions some I'm not sure I have the answers for."

"We'll be here waiting for you," Piper said.

Leo orbed out of the kitchen, leaving the girls and Wyatt alone.

The End

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Charmed" stories at my website, You can also post your own "Charmed" stories if you like to write fan fiction. 


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